This invention relates generally to commercial display and advertising racks, and particularly to a hanging display for containing a plurality of product samples in a retail store environment.
Retail stores are generally organized into departments or sections which may comprise an entire region of the store or a small portion of an aisle. Similar products within those departments or sections are generally grouped together and then further subdivided according to a classification system of descending descriptive priorities well recognized by the customers: product nature, function, type, brand, size or color, price, and so forth.
The various established methods for displaying products are generally recognized throughout most retail stores. Products are placed on or within racks, shelves, upright display cases, display counters, tables, bins, pegboard wall displays, and freestanding promotional stands. The particular type of display chosen will depend primarily upon the location of the product within the store, and the type and value of the merchandise. More expensive, fragile, or easily concealable products, and those which normally require greater assistance from sales personnel, may be locked or placed out of reach under a countertop display, on shelving behind a sales counter, or in a display cabinet near the cashier.
Most inexpensive or moderately priced consumer goods are displayed openly on shelves or racks which allow the customers to sort through the various products, compare labels and advertising claims, determine the brand and type of product they desire without assistance, and select the appropriate quantity.
Sale items, specials, discounts, and promotional products, on the other hand, may be placed in bins near the entrances or exits of the store, or at points of heavy customer traffic, where a person can readily observe and easily select one or more of the items on impulse as they pass by, without comparison or reference to other similar products.
Retail merchandisers have also identified many products which should be placed near the cashier or store exit, since customers tend to forget those items ween compiling a shopping list or to consciously consider that purchase, but will remember the particular need when seeing the item while they are waiting to check-out.
The actual display devices most frequently positioned surrounding the cashier's station include the glass top or glass front display counter itself, large wire mesh bins and freestanding receptacles which are placed in front or along the sides of the counter, plexiglas display cabinets or rotating racks which are placed on top of the counter, and shelving located on or against a wall behind the cashier. In some instances, conventional shopping carts and baskets are used in place of the specially designed metal wire stands and receptacles.
These conventional display devices, while being practical for the intended use and providing several utilitarian features, do present some common drawbacks and disadvantages from the perspective of both the retail store owner or employee and the product manufacturer.
Because it is important to utilize the available display space most effectively--particularly the most valuable spaces surrounding the cashier or sales counter--the displays themselves must be designed to occupy a minimum volume while containing the most economically efficient product inventory which should necessarily be kept on hand.
Because this on-hand inventory will vary depending upon the particular product, and the minimum display volume will similarly depend upon the size of each product and the inventory number, most general purpose display stands manufactured for use by retailers lack a sufficient degree of flexibility or are invariable as to sizes, thus preventing their most effective use.
In addition, the prefabricated product bins and wire receptacles are generally very bulky, and must be constructed of a heavy gauge metal to withstand the wear and abuse normally encountered. Because of their heavy weight and large size, only a limited number of such display stands may be placed in any one store location without disrupting the traffic flow or interfering with service. Because the stands are designed to rest on the floor, they do not present the best visibility for products, or permit the products to be viewed completely.
Due to the particular materials and construction methods employed, these displays are relatively expensive, and a limited number are usually purchased and owned by the retail store and used with a multitude of products. The store owners will generally prepare a simple handmade sign which indicates the brand name and price of the product, but will seldom create or utilize more complex advertising materials on their own initiative. Because many diverse styles and designs of such display bins and receptacles are used from store to store, the product manufacturers and distributors have little control, if any, over the content or placement of any advertising signs or promotional materials, and the lack of uniformity of the displays prevents the product manufacturer or distributor from providing the appropriate advertising or informational materials to each store.
Moreover, the receptacles, bins, and displays are themselves not particularly attractive, they can be very hard to assemble, disassemble, store, and ship, and they can present many sharp edges which catch upon clothing or scratch customers.
When an entire display is designed and provided by the product manufacturer or distributor, it is traditionally a more expensive and permanent freestanding or countertop display. Such displays are generally designed for long term use with one particular brand and type of product, and may be constructed from plexiglas or injection molded. Another display device supplied by manufacturers or distributors comprises a large freestanding sign or placard designed to attract a customer's attention, many of which have a pocket or tear-off pad for informational pamphlets, and which are related to a particular short term promotional program. While relatively less expensive to manufacture than permanent displays, these placards can generally only be used once, and with a predetermined quantity of a single product.